It is increasingly fashionable to have hair with a different color on the terminal end portion or hair segments furthest from the scalp. The most current trend is to have a very soft or subtle blending of colors from the scalp section to the terminal end section, which is sometimes called a sombre effect. Sombre offers a more natural, blended look as opposed to ombre, which provided a more harsh distinction between the colors. The hair is typically darker on top and lighter near the ends. Often, the ends are a shade of blond and the top is a darker shade of blond or brown, which is the root color. The middle segment is a blend of the darker and lighter shades or colors and creates a transitory section.
For a more dramatic look, the end portion of the hair can be vibrantly colored with colors such as blue, lavender, pink, green, orange, etc. This look is often achieved by dyeing or color processing the end portions of a person's hair with vibrant colored dye. However, color processing the hair is a semi-permanent or permanent process, when in fact the person may only want the colored hair to last for a certain duration.
Another color blending technique is balayage. The balayage technique is a freehand technique where color is applied by hand rather than using the traditional foiling or cap highlighting technique. Balayage can achieve varying effects, including soft, natural highlights similar to the sombre effect. Both the sombre effect and balayage are performed at a salon, both are very time consuming and both are very expensive to have done at a salon due to the artful blending of the two colors to create a natural look.
The color blending look of the sombre effect is difficult to achieve in hair extensions. It has been attempted to achieve the sombre look in extensions by use of two lengths of hairs in the extension, each of a different color. The combination of the two groups of hair creates an ombre or sombre effect in the final hair extension. However, the problem with the technique of creating an ombre or sombre effect with two lengths of hairs in differing colors is that the ends of the shorter hairs absorb more dye or color. This results in a distorted ombre or sombre effect and does not appear as natural as desired, nor does the color appear as it would in a natural sombre effect or one created by a salon. Additionally, use of two lengths of hair can create a noticeable volume discrepancy at the bottom of the hair extension.
Moreover, the color created in an ombre or sombre extension can be negatively altered by the strands of hairs having different appearances caused by the hair strands taking up various amounts of color due to the hair strands cuticles being in different directions. Natural hair has overlapping scales (called cuticles) that lay in the same direction when growing from a head. When hair is cut and used in an extension, it is ideal to keep the hair running in the same direction. For example, it is desired that the hair strands in the extension all be in the same direction as they were on the original head of hair, namely from scalp to terminal end.
There are no known hair extensions that create the sombre effect in a manner that is comparable to the quality of sombre color received at a salon. The sombre color produced at a salon contains a transitory section where the colors are artfully blended to arrive a soft transition between the colors. Most currently available sombre hair extensions have a harsh demarcation between the two colors. An extension with salon quality sombre coloring is desired. Sombre extensions can be used to add volume to already existing sombre colored hair. Or sombre extensions can be used to add a sombre color and length to existing hair.
Hair extensions, hairpieces, and wigs are known. Hair extensions are lengths of hair attachable to a user's head to make the user's hair appear either fuller, longer or add color. Wigs and hair pieces likewise can be used to change the appearance (color, length, and/or texture) of the user's hair. The current invention provides a process and product for making transitorily colored hair which overcomes the forgoing disadvantages of the above mentioned hair color processing issues.